


Londo's Pantheon

by worthyadvisor



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: Goddesses, Other, Spiritual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worthyadvisor/pseuds/worthyadvisor
Summary: Londo meets a mysterious woman in the palace gardens at the moment he needs to make a monumental decision.
Relationships: Londo Mollari/Adira Tyree
Kudos: 4





	Londo's Pantheon

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the episode "The Hour of the Wolf" (S4 Ep1) between meeting Emperor Cartagia and calling Vir Cotto back to Centauri Prime. 
> 
> This playground belongs to JMS, I'm just playing on the monkey bars.

Londo emerged out into the sunlit gardens. The sky was bright blue and he had to squint for a few seconds while his eyes adjusted. Londo took several deep breaths as if to clean the air of the palace from his lungs. This place is poison, he thought. There was no doubt in his mind any longer. What to do about it was the question. _I never should have let Morden get a foothold here_ , he thought. The gods, however, didn’t seem to be forthcoming with answers. There were definitely no longer answers in the Court, not with that madman sitting on the throne.

 _You put him there_ , a voice answered in his head. He told the voice to go away and started walking.

Without really thinking, he ended up strolling through the farthest part of the gardens. Usually, the bright flowers soothed him, made him smile even, but today it seemed as if nothing could soothe his soul. He had always been a patriot, but what his beloved planet had become was a dangerous joke. Cartagia made even some of the worst Emperors look sane! Something must be done, but what?

The Ambassador was so wrapped up in his thoughts, that it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer alone. He had ended up in a little used part of the gardens where there was a small pond with benches around it. A woman had stood up at the sound of him stampeding through the archway. He stopped, surprised, when he saw that the pond had a statue of one of the female gods of the Centauri pantheon. He couldn’t remember which of the fifty it was, though. And while the woman standing there was dressed as a Centauri, he could tell she wasn’t Centauri. Her gown was too flat in the front, and she didn’t really move like a Centauri, but she had a shaved head and all the trappings of a fine Lady. Londo wondered if she was human.

“Oh! Ambassador!” the woman said. “I seem I’m not the only one who needed some air today.”

“Ah, yes, Lady,” he answered with a short bow. “You have me at a disadvantage. I know most of the ladies of the court, but I don’t seem to remember your name.”

The woman smiled. “It’s because I’m not a lady of the court. Well, not officially. I asked Lady Morella if she could sponsor me for a visit here, and she agreed. I may be human, but the Lady and I have many…talents...in common, so she made me part of her Household. She felt that if I dressed as one of your women, it would be easier for me to blend in, as it were.”

Londo widened his eyes. “You’re not…?

“No, Ambassador. I’m not with the Psi Corps.” She gave a shudder. “I’ve managed to avoid them, as my gift isn’t really what the Psi Corps looks for. I suppose I can be thankful that being a telepath is much more highly valued than seeing the future. I became a priestess of an old Earth tradition instead, and, I suppose you could say, that I’m somewhat of a spiritual tourist. I like to go to other worlds and see how the Spirits manifest in different places. I prefer goddesses, but all of the Spirits of the Universe interest me.”

Londo smiled. “I know of some monks on Babylon 5 who have a similar mission in life.”

The woman nodded. “Yes, Brother Theo! I had heard he went to Babylon 5 some time ago. Is he well?”

“As far as I know, Lady. It has been some time since I talked to him.”

She inclined her head, then turned back to the statue in the middle of the pond. “Who is this goddess, Ambassador? I find her fascinating.”

Londo moved to stand next to the woman. “Hmmm….I don’t remember her name. Although, she is holding a bottle. She might be a goddess of oil, or poison, or water? With fifty or so gods in our pantheon, it’s hard to keep track of them all.”

“I see,” she said. Much to Londo’s surprise, she started walking forward into the pond towards the statue. The gardens seem to hold its breath around them, as if it, too, was waiting to understand what this mad human was doing. The pond wasn’t deep, and only came up to her knees. When she reached the statue, she touched it with both her hands and bowed her bald head. After several minutes, she lifted her head, and came back to where Londo was still standing.

What surprised Londo, however, was that when the woman stepped onto the grass at the edge of the pool, she no longer walked like a human. She had more of the natural grace that all Centauri women had. And when he looked into her eyes…

Her eyes were different. They were no longer human. They had an internal fire that was other-worldly. Or maybe insane? He stepped back and into one of the benches. He sat down hard. The woman sat down next to him. She was silent.

“Lady?” he whispered. “Are you all right?”

The woman turned to look at him, and there was anger in her eyes. Before he could get up and move away, she grabbed his wrist and held him with a vice-like grip. “You. You all have forgotten me,” she said in a voice that was completely different from the voice she had before she went into the pond.

“Forgotten?” Londo whispered.

“Yes, forgotten. I, the seer who saved our people from a mad emperor. You all forgot what I did for the Republic.”

“I don’t understand....”

“This person let me use their body to talk to you. You must now do what I did so long ago. You have a choice, Londo Mollari of House Mollari. I no longer have a name, but at the heart of it all, I am Vengeance. I am Righteous Vengeance.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “You know what you have to do for the good of our people, Mollari. Give me a name, and I will ensure that vengeance will be done.”

“But I...I am the reason this man is on the throne.”

“You will pay a price for that. That, you cannot avoid. But do what needs to be done, and you and I will set the path for Centauri to be whole again.”

“Yes, my Lady,” Londo said.

The woman lifted a hand to his cheek. “My Ambassador.” Then, as if a switch had been thrown, the woman looked human again. Her eyes wide, as she pulled her hand away from his face. Her cheeks colored, and she let go of his wrist. “I apologize, Ambassador. Her spirit came on so strong that I couldn’t stop it.” Her eyes saw the damp half of her skirts. “Oh, Lady Morella is going to scold me for ruining another dress!”

“Another dress?” Londo asked.

“I spilled spoo on the previous one,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.

Londo laughed. “I’m sure if you tell her about what happened, she’ll forgive you.”

“I don’t really remember what happened, Ambassador. I remember being compelled to touch the statue, and a spirit coming into me and some visions, but I don’t remember coming out of the pond.”

Londo could tell she was a bit confused. “You were...someone else...for a time, Lady.”

The woman closed her eyes for a moment. “Did she give you what you needed?” the woman asked.

“Yes, Lady, I think so.”

She nodded, then stood. “I must go now.”

“You are distressed. Let me escort you back to your rooms!”

“Thank you, Ambassador, but no. I can find my own way.” She started to walk back to the palace. She stopped without turning around. “I am sorry for the price you’ll have to pay. If she could come back, she would.”

Londo opened his mouth to say something, but the woman walked quickly out of the gardens. He turned back to look at the statue. _Vengeance,_ he thought. _Yes. I will be Vengeance._

And then he spoke the name of the goddess. The air seemed to sparkle around the statue, and he knew what needed to be done. He smiled, as his mind started to plan. _I must call Vir, I can’t do this without him._ He turned back towards the palace with a new purpose.

***

After calling Vir and ordering him back to the homeworld, Londo made another call.

Lady Morella’s secretary answered. “What can I do for you, Ambassador?”

“Yes, I am led to believe that you have a human woman in Lady Morella’s entourage who has been learning about being a seer. I met her in the palace gardens and would like to speak to her again.”

“I’m sorry, Ambassador. You must be mistaken. Lady Morella hasn’t had a human guest on Centauri Prime for several years. Are you sure she was a guest of Lady Morella?”

Londo thought quickly. “I thought that was what she had said. I may have been mistaken. Thank you.” and he closed the connection. He left the palace and went back to the far end of the garden. This time, he really looked at the statue. The face that he hadn’t really looked at before, he studied with care. It was familiar and different, but it was Her. His Goddess. Not only of love, but now, of Vengeance for all Centauri.

“Adira.”


End file.
